Method and Web Platform for Brokering Know-How

ABSTRACT

A method for brokering of know-how in various formats between users on an electronic Web service platform includes the following steps: allowing users access to the electronic Web service platform, requesting registration data from a user on the platform, managing interest area categories, receiving user offers for know-how in at least one interest area category, enabling searches of users for know-how in at least one interest area category, calculating and displaying a rating in respect of offers in at least one interest area category, approving to a selected offer an agreed exchange of know-how and a corresponding transfer of credit points, conveying selected know-how from the provider to the consumer and booking a corresponding transfer of credit points, and accepting and storing a rating given to the provider by the consumer in respect of the transferred know-how, wherein the rating is assigned to the interest area category of the transferred know-how. There is not a general rating for a provider but a rating for skills or know-how in specific interest area categories.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority to U.S.application Ser. No. 12/973,396, filed Dec. 20, 2010, titled “Method andWeb Platform for Brokering Know-How,” which claims priority under 35U.S.C. §119 to corresponding co-pending EPO Application No. EP09180144.9entitled “Method and Web Platform for Brokering Know-how,” filed Dec.21, 2009, each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of electronic brokering ofknow-how in various formats between users (persons or companies) on anelectronic Web service platform. More particularly, this inventionrelates to providing know-how in combination with rating.

BACKGROUND ART

Protocols are conventions or standards that control or enable theconnection, communication and data transfer between two computerendpoints, wherein the word computer shall include all devices beingable to receive and send digital code. These computer endpoints aredefined by URL's in the form of a compact strings of characters, whichcan be used to represent a resource available on the Internet. Webapplications are based on connection, communication and data transferbetween such computer endpoints. On the server side application serversand other dynamic content servers such as Web content management systemsprovide content through a large variety of techniques and technologiestypified by the scripting approach. Web browsers can operate ondifferent languages, for example on HTML, XHTML, Javascript, Java, XMLand XSLT. Widespread are Web applications with at least one computerendpoint in the form of a Web application server and at least one clientcomputer endpoint with a Web browser.

Web applications with interactions of Web browsers and Web servers canuse content description languages, for example HTML (Hyper Text MarkupLanguage), to display Web pages and to make requests. On the clientside, the Web application access is typically initiated by using a Webbrowser (e.g. Mozilla, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, Opera, etc).The Web browser sends a HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) request tothe Web server in order to receive the HTTP response to the request. Theresponse contains the content description language HTML which tells theWeb browser what content to display and how to interact with the Webapplication, for example by displaying Web forms, Web links or other Webapplication content.

In modern environments, a Web application platform does not just providestatic information to one user on the client side but the benefit of theplatform is based on multiple users being registered and acting on theplatform (not necessarily at the same time). Social network platformsfor example make it possible to connect people on such a Web serviceplatform. Another example are online auctions, where users offer goodsfor auctioning and others are buying them on the platform. Some Webservice platforms also offer the exchange of goods (countertrade,barter) instead of selling them for money. On such auctioning orcountertrade platforms it is typical that registered users have a ratingbased on the transactions they have performed on the platform so far(either in the role of a seller or of a buyer). Such a rating gives apotential buyer some information about the credibility, reliability ortrustworthyness of the seller (or vice versa).

U.S. Pat. No. 7,401,025 B1 describes an online list that maintains aminimum criteria level for service providers to be listed. The list iseasily accessible by the general public on the internet, or by printedtext directories sold in bookstores. It can list not only the serviceprovider's credentials but may also provide a current up-to-date ratingsystem by the users themselves. The list or service includes thefollowing information of service providers: profile, duration ofbusiness, met licensing requirements, insurance coverage and customerexperience references. The qualification information may be updatedcontinually through service provider or consumer. Customers can enter onthe web-site their individual experience rating for a listed serviceprovider. This will be added to the rating summary in the database forthat service provider. The service does only support the selection of aservice provider but it does not support the interaction betweenprovider and consumer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In an inventive step it was realized that today there is no platformavailable providing the exchange of know-how in various formats linkedto a rating of the know-how and/or the skills of a provider. The new andinventive platform allows to efficiently getting know-how or servicesfrom providers with certain skills or specific know-how approved with acredible rating in categorized interest areas. The platform not onlyallows a consumer to find a provider with rated skills or rated know-howbut also controls the exchange of know-how and the correspondingtransmittal of credit points (virtual money inside the platform) ormoney to the provider and/or the platform. The platform controls therating of know-how or services and provides rating information. Therating is linked to skill categories respectively know-how interest areacategories. This is allowing situations where a provider of know-how orskills in different interest areas can have different ratings indifferent interest areas respectively different ratings for know-how orskills in different interest areas. There is not a general rating for aprovider but a rating for skills or know-how in specific interest areacategories.

A preferred embodiment of a method based on this inventive step is amethod for brokering of at least one of know-how and skills in variousformats between users on an electronic Web service platform, wherein themethod includes the steps of

-   -   allowing users to remotely access the electronic Web service        platform,    -   requesting registration data from at least a part of the users        on the platform, wherein the real identity information of users        is stored in a user database and the registered user is kept        anonymous to the users of the platform as long as he does not        willingly disclose his real identity to another user,    -   managing interest area categories, wherein the managing includes        displaying of interest area categories and enabling amendments        of interest area categories by an administrator,    -   receiving user offers for at least one of know-how and skills in        at least one interest area category, wherein the offering user        is a provider and the receiving includes requesting a selection        of a interest area category and a definition of the format of        the offer, the formats include answering questions, chatting on        a topic, providing data, documents, programs or tools and doing        work under specified conditions,    -   enabling searches of users for at least one of know-how and        skills in at least one interest area category, wherein the        searching user is a consumer and the enabling of searches        includes selecting offers in at least one interest area        category,    -   calculating and displaying a rating in respect of offers in at        least one interest area category, wherein the rating is        calculated from ratings given in the respective interest area        category to the provider and the rating is corresponding to the        quality of the provider's know-how or skill in the respective        interest area category,    -   approving to a selected offer an agreed exchange of credit        points and of at least one of know-how and work to be done,    -   conveying at least one of selected know-how and an approval on        work to be done from the provider to the consumer and booking a        corresponding transfer of credit points, and    -   accepting and storing a rating given to the provider by the        consumer in respect of the transferred at least one of know-how        and work, wherein the rating is assigned to the corresponding        interest area category of the transferred know-how or the        applied skills.

The expression user database includes any technical method of managinguser data for the platform. Chatting on a topic can be done by usingkeyboard, voice or video chat technology.

A preferred embodiment of the method is further comprising the step oftransferring information between the consumer and the provider in orderto define the conditions for an exchange of know-how according to aselected offer, wherein the step of transferring information occursbefore the step of approving.

Rating is collected for categorized interest areas from consumers aftertheir consumption of know-how or services in the specific interest area.For the consumption of know-how a consumer has to be registered at theplatform. Therefore consumers approved for rating a provider areregistered on the platform and all rating information can be storedalong with the information about the rating consumer. In a preferredembodiment of the platform this allows for registered users to getweighted rating information that depends on the user and his/herconnection to the sources of the given rating. High weight can be givento ratings from consumers who were rating skills or know-how in interestareas of other providers in the same way as the actual user. Theweighting process can also include informing a user about consumersalong with their given ratings and with connections of the ratingconsumers to the user and requesting weightings from the user for theconsumers, wherein the consumers are named with an alias or the realname depending on the relation between user and consumer. The relevanceof weighted rating information can be much higher for a user then anaverage of all existing rating.

In order to allow a weighting process, the rating information of aconsumer approved for rating a provider is stored together with theinformation about the rating consumer. With this information the weightof a specific rating can be chosen depending on the searching user andhis/her connection to the sources of a rating. In a preferred embodimenthigher weight is given to ratings from consumers who were ratingknow-how in interest areas of other providers similar to the actualsearching user. In another preferred embodiment the searching user isinformed about rating consumers with their given ratings and with theirconnections to the searching user, the rating consumers are named withan alias or the real identity if the real identity is disclosed to thesearching user. It is possible to give higher weight to ratings fromconsumers who gave a good rating to formerly offered know-how of thesearching user, preferably in the same interest areas. Still anotherweighting is giving higher weight to ratings from consumers who got agood rating to their offered know-how from the searching user,preferably to know-how in the same interest areas.

A Web application service platform is providing the functionality toexchange know-how in various electronic formats inside and in brokeredservices outside the platform and combines it with weighted ratinginformation. The platform can calculate the weighted rating of theprovider's skill based on the given rating of consumers for the provideras well as for the consumed know-how. It is also possible that theplatform calculates rating for the consumer based on the rating by theprovider for the consumer in specified transfer conditions. The platformis running as a Web application service and may be operated internallyfor an organization or publicly over the Internet or any other publiclyavailable network technology. A person or alias who offers know-how inthe platform is called “provider” and a person or alias who searches forknow-how and skills is called “consumer”. Providers and consumers areusers of the platform, where a user can be a person or company. The worduser includes male and female persons although the rest of thisdescription uses the male form for simplicity.

A user registers on the platform under a free to choose anonymous alias.For the registration on the platform, the user has to provide his realidentity information (e.g. name, postal address, email address). To theplatform the user is not anonymous but to all other users of theplatform he is anonymous as long as he does not willingly disclose hisreal identity to another user based on a clearly defined transaction ofthe platform. The platform supports personal and company accounts. Acompany account is different from a personal account. Personal usersdeclare their personal skills and know-how which can be in theirprofessional as well as in their private areas. A company account makesthe company visible on the platform and the company account isassociated with the personal accounts that are related to that company(e.g. the employees of that company).

For an association between a company and a personal account, the companyaccounts as well as the personal account have to confirm the associationand each of them can terminate the association at any point in time. Apersonal user who confirms an association with a company account canselect a subset of his declared skills and offered know-how formats thatshould be taken into account for the association with the company (e.g.an employee of a company may only want to associate his professionalskills with the company account but not his skills in his privatehobbies). The company account then reflects the combined skills of allassociated personal users in the platform so that a consumer can find acompany that comprises certain skills and offers certain know-howexchange.

A providing user offers know-how in defined interest areas, so calledskill or interest area categories. For example “Legal->Patents” or“IT->Programming->Java” or “Sports->Fitness” could be such interestareas. The platform defines the structured set of available categories.Based on user feedback and requests the platform administrators may add,change or remove skill or interest area categories to meet the usersrequirements. The provider can offer various formats of know-howexchange within interest areas (e.g. declaring the will to answerquestions interactively, declaring the will to chat on the topic,providing data, documents or tools, or others). The platform offers astructured multi-level catalogue of pre-defined skills. Each user canregister on the platform and determine if he wants to act as a consumer,as a provider or both. In the role of a providing user he declares underwhich skills he wants to be found and provide his know-how. The user candeclare his skills for the first time when he registers with theplatform as a provider. If a user only wants to search as a consumer, hedoes not need to declare skills. A basic search of provided skills caneven be performed without any registration. This process is very similarto the one well-known in online auctioning platforms where users cansearch the offers without registration but need to register fortransaction as a consumer or as a provider.

The platform may provide functions for premium users who pay a recurringsubscription fee that free users cannot use or only to a limited extent.The providing user can update or change his declared skills or hisknow-how in interest area categories anytime later. Each user is free tochoose under which skills he wants to expose himself on the platform.E.g. a user may declare upon registration that he provides know-how in“IT->Programming->Java”, “IT->Database->Oracle” and“Social->Language->Italian”. At some point later he recognizes that heis also willing to provide know-how for his hobbies under“Art->Music->Transposition” and “Sports->Fitness->Power Plate” and healso declares these skills. Declaring skills means that the user is ableto offer his know-how in various formats (e.g. answering questions,chat, tools, data, code, etc) under the declared skill and that he andhis offered know-how can be found by searching users under the declaredskill. Preferably, all declared skills of a user are associated with aweighted rating which is dynamically calculated by the platform based onthe qualitative feedback by consuming users of the exchanged know-how(see more about the rating aspect further below).

A consuming user is searching for providers with certain skills or forknow-how in certain interest areas. When newly registered, theprovider's skills do not have rating information because no other userhas rated any know-how deliveries from that provider yet. When theconsumer finds the desired provider with the needed skills or know-howhe can consume the offered know-how in different formats electronicallyinside the platform (e.g. question answering, chat, voice,video-conferencing, documents, tools, etc) or outside the platform (e.g.brokering a service that is delivered outside) against credit points(virtual money inside the platform) or money (brokering fee). Consumingknow-how in any kind of electronic format inside the platform is doneagainst credit points in the first place. The providing user defines howmany credit points he wants to get from a consumer for a certainknow-how exchange. A searching consumer can decide if he wants to acceptthe offer, consume the know-how and exchange the defined amount ofcredit points. If the deal is accepted by both parties, the definedamount of credit points is transferred from the consumer to theprovider. The platform supports providers with recommendations ofsuitable credit point amounts to be asked for certain know-how formats.However, since the value of know-how cannot be measured automatically,the definition of the requested credit points can always be set by theprovider.

The platform provides electronic negotiation possibilities so that aconsumer can send a provider a message and ask him for example to lowerthe requested amount of credit points or talk to him about other topicsof negotiation. In order for a transaction to be settled on theplatform, it has to be accepted by both parties. A provider can also setimplicit acceptance for proactively provided know-how formats in theplatform (e.g. a provider offers an article on a certain topic fordownload and requests <n> credit points from each user who downloads itso he does not have to manually accept each transaction). Forinteractive know-how exchange such as question answering or chat, theplatform also provides a more flexible credit point definition where theprovider can set a range of requested credit points for his providedknow-how and the consumer approves to transfer <n> credit points withinthat range based on his personal approval of the consumed know-how (e.g.if an answer solves a tricky problem immediately and the consumerapproves that fact he transfers all of the requested credit points butif the answer does not solve the problem he only transfers a smalleramount). As a fallback option for consumers with no or only few creditpoints the platform does also provide the possibility to buy know-howagainst money. Users can also buy credit points against money.

When the consumer searches for suitable providers he will see theweighted rating of the provider's skills respectively the weightedrating of know-how in an interest area category. The displayed rating isbased on the ratings he got from other consumers for consumed servicesor know-how in any format inside or outside the platform. The inventiondefines the application of an algorithm to aggregate the ratings of thedifferent consumers to attribute the skill of the provider with aweighted rating. That weighted rating is accessible for consumerssearching the platform for providers with certain skills. Furthermore,the invention defines the application of an algorithm to give a consumeradditional information about the quality of the weighted rating in hisspecific context, taking into account the connections and dependenciesof himself to the sources of the original ratings (to the otherconsumers that already rated the skill of the looked-at provider).

When a consumer searches for know-how or skills and consumes such, hewill rate the quality of the know-how in the consumed format (absoluterating of the consumed know-how and also the quality of the providinguser). The platform applies a weighting algorithm to the given rating toattribute a weighted and aggregated rating to the skill of the offeringuser. For example a provider may offer professional articles in theinterest area (skill category) “Legal->Patents”. Consumers may searchfor know-how in the interest area (skill) “Legal-Patents” and willconsume the professional articles against credit points (virtual moneyinside the platform). The consumers rate the offered professionalarticles regarding the quality and usefulness. The platform applies theweighting algorithm to calculate a credible weighted rating attributedto the skill “Legal->Patents” for the provider. Therefore, exchangedknow-how in various formats within one interest area (skill category)will lead to a weighted rating of the skill (not just the specificknow-how format) by several consumers over time. Consumers candistinguish providers with different skills and with different ratingson certain skills. For example a cook may have a very positive weightedrating for his skill regarding Indian recipes (e.g. skill“Cooking->Indian”) that he offers on the platform but at the same timehe may have a poor weighted rating for his skill regarding Italiancuisine (e.g. skill “Cooking->Italian”). This weighted rating of skillscreates an immense benefit for consumers searching for know-how in aninterest area (skill category) because they get credible informationabout how good a provider really is at something.

Furthermore, the invention provides weighted rating information forsearching consumers depending on the connection of the searchingconsumer to the sources of ratings (to the other consumers that alreadyrated delivered know-how). Such connections or dependencies may beinside or outside the platform. The invention defines the application ofan algorithm to take these connections and dependencies into account togive the searching user more credible rating information about theskills or the know-how of a provider. For example, a consumer may searchfor an expert in the interest area (skill category)“IT->Database->Oracle”. Based on the search he will find providersoffering know-how in this area and their skill is already rated as bythe first step of the invention. For the searching consumer, theplatform will now show additional information about different qualitiesof the rating depending on connections or dependencies of the searchinguser to the sources of the rating. If the searching user for examplerated somebody else positive and there is a rating available coming fromthat person it is a more significant rating to the searching user. Theplatform will dynamically apply an algorithm to weight the availablerating of a user's skill in the context of the searching user withadditional information from inside or outside the platform. Thealgorithm could for example check if one of the rating sources isconnected to the searching user in one of the (outside the platformavailable) social networking platforms. If that is the case thesearching user will get this information in form of a weighted rating.The weighted rating information will also give the searching user thepossibility to see the details where a rating is coming from and why itis weighted in a certain way. That kind of weighted rating uniquelyincreases the significance of the available ratings to the searchinguser and will help him to make the right choice where he wants toconsume know-how from.

The platform provides the possibility to exchange know-how in variousformats online within the platform (e.g. question&answers, chat, voice,video-conferencing, documents, data, etc). As an additional benefit, theplatform also makes it possible to broker know-how and services thatwill be delivered outside the platform. In that case, the onlineknow-how exchange typically is a prequel to validate the selection of aknow-how provider. For example a searching user may search for a ITfreelancer with Java programming skills. He will find people who offerthat kind of skills with the weighted rating information. Based on thathe will use simple know-how exchange such as question&answer or chat tocheck the providing user out before eventually initiating the brokeringprocess that will reveal the real identities to each of the users(provider and consumer). The benefit of the platform is to protect theprivacy as long as possible, reduce any overhead for the involved usersand cover the rating of the brokered service even if the service isdelivered outside of the platform. For such brokered services theplatform provides pre-defined contract schemes under which a consumercan negotiate and enter into a cooperation with the provider.

Exchanging know-how in various formats within categorized interest areas(skills) and for rating the quality of a declared skill in a Web serviceplatform is applied whenever a user consumes know-how of another userinside or outside the platform.

In a preferred embodiment, at least one registered user offers hisknow-how in different interest areas (skills) and another user searchesfor know-how in this area, leading to a match where the searching userwill consume know-how of the providing user and rate the consumedknow-how.

Weighted rating information about skills of users offering know-how invarious formats in the platform in the context of the searching user'sconnection and dependencies to the sources of the rating is appliedwhenever a user has connections to sources of the rating.

The method for associating special company accounts with a selectedsubset of the declared skills of personal accounts in a Web serviceplatform is applied whenever a company registers with the platform tooffer its know-how and services to the public and associates with theskills of affiliated persons.

The inventive methods are implemented in a computer program comprisingprogram code means for performing all the method steps. This program isrun on a computer, on a server or on a virtualized server (“in thecloud”). Users are allowed to remotely access the program.

The method steps can be performed by an electronic Web service platformfor brokering of know-how in various formats between users.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a schematic block-diagram showing the main elements andfunctions of the electronic Web service platform,

FIG. 2 is a schematic block-diagram showing dynamic rating,

FIG. 3 is a schematic block-diagram showing weighted rating,

FIG. 4 is a schematic block-diagram showing how the company accounts areassociated with personal user accounts

FIG. 1 describes the main elements and functions of the electronic Webservice platform for brokering of know-how in various formats. On theleft side there is a user illustrated in the role of a provider and onthe right side one as a consumer. The workflow of the diagram or theinventive method starts at the top and goes to the bottom including theinteractive steps between the consumer, the provider and the platform.The diagram shows the main elements and functions of the platform suchas:

-   -   a) A provider is registering, declaring his skills and/or        offering know-how in specific interest areas categories, wherein        the registered information is stored in a user or an account        database.    -   b) A registered provider can offer know-how and/or skills.        Offers for skills and know-how are stored in a skill and        know-how database along with categories of the corresponding        interest areas.    -   c) The consumer in the need of know-how in a certain interest        area category is searching for suitable offers with respective        know-how or skills. It is possible to allow searching without        registering. If a searching user finds know-how to be        transferred to him, then he has to register.    -   d) The searching user is getting displayed a view of the search        result including rating information regarding available provider        skills in the respective interest area category.    -   e) By selecting one of the offers and by initiating a know-how        exchange contact an interest for interactive exchange the        searching user is becoming a consumer.    -   f) The provider can be notified and then he has to decide if he        accepts the know-how exchange with the consumer. The        notification of the provider can include a rating of the        consumer based on calculated and preferably weighted rating of        the consumer by providers who conveyed know-how to the consumer.        This step is not necessary in cases where the know-how is        already on the platform or where the conditions of a know-how        transfer are fixed.    -   g) The consumer requesting a know-how exchange being settled on        the platform in a defined format where the main different use        cases are:        -   a. Case 1: The consumer accessing electronically available            know-how in the platform that has been uploaded/entered by            the provider        -   b. Case 2: The consumer accessing interactive know-how            exchange (e.g. through messages, chat, voice or video            communication) with the provider        -   c. Case 3: The consumer settling a pre-defined contract with            the provider for know-how exchange or service delivery            outside the platform    -   h) In case 3: The consumer paying a broker fee to the platform        for the brokering of the service delivery outside of the        platform    -   i) In case 1 and 2: The platform transferring the agreed amount        of credit points from the consumer to the provider.    -   j) The platform accepting and storing rating by the consumer for        the provider and eventually also by the provider for the        consumer. The stored ratings allow calculating the weighted        rating of the provider's skill or know-how in different interest        area categories based on the given ratings for transferred        know-how. The platform also supports calculating weighted rating        for consumers based on the rating by providers. Rating data of        the platform is updated with accepted rating information,        wherein filters can prevent storing of unacceptable rating.

FIG. 2 describes dynamic rating applied by the platform when a consumersearches for know-how and/or skills. The diagram shows the main elementsand functions for calculating weighted rating, such as:

-   -   a) The provider is declaring user offers for know-how or skills        in at least one interest area category on the platform. Know-how        can be provided to and stored on the platform    -   b) The consumer in the need of know-how in a certain interest        area is searching for suitable know-how or skills. An offer can        be selected by the consumer    -   c) The platform is calculating the dynamic weighted rating for        the specific search context of the consumer taking the existing        ratings and eventually a trusted network and confidence        information into account (e.g. the history and dependencies of        the searching consumer to the sources of the existing rating        information)    -   d) The consumer getting displayed a dynamic view of the search        result including the dynamic rating information regarding        available provider skills

FIG. 3 describes the weighted rating applied by the platform after aknow-how exchange has been settled over the platform including theattribution of an aggregated weighted rating to the declared skill basedon the rated know-how. The diagram shows the main elements and functionsfor calculating weighted rating, such as:

-   -   a) The consumer is consuming exchanged know-how delivered by the        provider over one of the possible transaction formats on the        platform until the consumption is finished    -   b) The platform is calculating weighted rating information of        the providers skills in specific interest area categories and        his skills based on the rating given by the consumer for the        provider and the consumed know-how    -   c) The platform calculating weighted rating information for the        consumer based on the rating given by the provider    -   d) The platform making the weighted rating information visible        for the users in their account as well as for other users of the        platform

FIG. 4 describes how the company accounts are associated with personaluser accounts and a selectable subset of their declared skills. Thediagram shows the main elements and functions for the use of companyaccounts, such as:

-   -   a) The personal user is declaring his skills on the platform.    -   b) The company is declaring company information about products        and services on the platform.    -   c) The platform is connecting personal users and a selectable        subset of their declared skills with a company account by        assigning an association between the two accounts and the        selected skills.    -   d) The platform is requiring the association being confirmed by        the involved personal account as well as the company account.    -   e) The platform is providing a view of the company including the        combined skills of all associated personal accounts to all users        of the platform.

1. A computer-implemented method comprising: registering, with one ormore processors, a first user and a second user in an electronic webservice platform; receiving from the first user a user offer for atleast one of know-how or skills in a first interest area category;responsive to the first user providing the at least one of know-how orskills, receiving form other consumers ratings for the first user in thefirst interest area category; receiving from the second user a searchfor the at least one of know-how or skills in the first interest areacategory; determining, with the one or more processors, a first amountfor the first user to provide the at least one of know-how or skills inthe first interest area category to the second user based on theratings; receiving from the second user an acceptance of the firstamount; and providing, with the one or more processors, the web servicesplatform for the first user to provide the at least one of know-how orskills in the first interest area category to the second user.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: receiving from the first user aconfirmation that the first user is associated with a company account;and receiving from the second user a selection of a subset of the firstuser's know-how or skills to be associated with the company account. 3.The method of claim 2, wherein the second user accepts to receive the atleast one of know-how or skills from the company account.
 4. The methodof claim 1, wherein the first amount comprises credit points and furthercomprising exchanging credit points from the second user to the firstuser.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determiningdependencies between the second user and the other consumers; receivingfrom the other consumers ratings for the first user in the firstinterest area category; weighting the ratings of the first user for thesecond user based on the dependencies; and wherein the first amount isbased on the weighted ratings.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein theweighted ratings are based on whether the other consumers were ratingthe at least one of know-how or skills in interest areas that aresimilar to the first interest area category searched by the second user.7. The method of claim 5, further comprising providing to the seconduser the ratings and the dependencies for the other users.
 8. The methodof claim 5, wherein weighting the ratings of the first user comprisesgiving high weights to the ratings from the other consumers who gave agood rating to a formerly offered know-how or skills of the second userin same interest areas.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at leastone of know-how or skills are provided as at least one of answeringquestions, chatting on a topic, and providing data and documents. 10.The method of claim 1, wherein the first interest area category isadded, changed or removed in the electronic web service platform by anadministrator based on user feedback and requests.
 11. A systemcomprising: a computer comprising one or more processors that executeinstructions to cause the system to: register a first user and a seconduser in an electronic web service platform; receive from the first usera user offer for at least one of know-how or skills in a first interestarea category; responsive to the first user providing the at least oneof know-how or skills, receive ratings from other consumers for thefirst user in the first interest area category; receive from the seconduser a search for the at least one of know-how or skills in the firstinterest area category; determine, with the one or more processors, afirst amount for the first user to provide the at least one of know-howor skills in the first interest area category to the second user basedon the ratings; receive an acceptance from the second user of the firstamount; and provide, with the one or more processors, the web servicesplatform for the first user to provide the at least one of know-how orskills in the first interest area category to the second user.
 12. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein the instructions are executed to cause thesystem to: receive from the first user a confirmation that the firstuser is associated with a company account; and receive from the seconduser a selection of a subset of the first user's know-how or skills tobe associated with the company account.
 13. The system of claim 11,wherein the second user accepts to receive the at least one of know-howor skills from the company account.
 14. The system of claim 11, whereinthe first amount comprises credit points and further comprisingexchanging credit points from the second user to the first user.
 15. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein the instructions are executed to cause thesystem to: determine dependencies between the second user and the otherconsumers; receive from the other consumers for the first user in thefirst interest area category; weight the ratings of the first user forthe second user based on the dependencies; and wherein the first amountis based on the weighted ratings.
 16. The system of claim 11, whereinthe weighted ratings are based on whether the other consumers wererating the know-how or skills in interest areas of other providerssimilar to the first interest area category searched by the second user.17. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computeruseable medium including a computer readable program, wherein thecomputer readable program when executed on a computer causes thecomputer to: register a first user and a second user in an electronicweb service platform; receive from the first user a user offer for atleast one of know-how or skills in a first interest area category;responsive to the first user providing the at least one of know-how orskills, receive from other consumers ratings for the first user in thefirst interest area category; receive from the second user a search forthe at least one of know-how or skills in the first interest area;determine, with the one or more processors, a first amount for the firstuser to provide the at least one of know-how or skills in the firstinterest area category to the second user based on the ratings; receivean acceptance from the second user of the first amount; and provide,with the one or more processors, the web services platform for the firstuser to provide the at least one of know-how or skills in the firstinterest area category to the second user.
 18. The computer programproduct of claim 17, wherein the computer program code when run on thecomputer further causes the computer to: receive from the first user aconfirmation that the first user is associated with a company account;and receive from the second user a selection of a subset of the firstuser's know-how or skills to be associated with the company account. 19.The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the second useraccepts to receive the at least one of know-how or skills from thecompany account.
 20. The computer program product of claim 19, whereinthe computer program code when run on the computer further causes thecomputer to: determine dependencies between the second user and theother consumers; receive from the other consumers ratings for the firstuser in the first interest area category; weight the ratings of thefirst user for the second user based on the dependencies; and whereinthe first amount is based on the weighted ratings.